I Will Surrender My Position as the Empress - Chapter 51
At that moment, Adele, who had ventured into the palace to uncover the secrets of a bygone era, found herself face to face with Lady Giggs.
“Your Majesty,” Lady Giggs began with an unusual air of solemnity, her breathing measured as though concealing a deep, treasured secret. Adele gazed at Lady Giggs and confirmed that her instincts aligned with Lionel’s.
“Has Diane Poitier become pregnant?” she inquired.
Lady Giggs’s eyes widened in astonishment. “How did you…?”
The Empress, leaning back in her chair, shrugged her shoulders.
Meanwhile, the rumors surrounding the Lady of Despone spread like wildfire through high society. People couldn’t help but buzz with excitement over Diane’s pregnancy, even those who had no interest in such gossip. Alongside this, news that Diane Poitier had leased the entire Ivory Palace was also making waves.
“She leased the entire Ivory Palace?” Karl paused his work and raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the attendant confirmed.
After a brief silence, Karl narrowed his eyes and fixed his gaze on his aide.
“Do you think the news of Diane’s pregnancy has reached the Empress’s palace?”
“It’s quite likely, don’t you think?” the aide responded.
Karl tilted his head in contemplation, then suddenly rose from his seat.
“Fetch my coat. I’m going to the Empress’s palace.”
As Karl hurried towards the Empress’s palace, his steps quickening with every stride, he couldn’t help but imagine the icy reception he would receive from the Empress. She was undoubtedly furious. Of course, she would be in a foul mood, cornered in her own palace as she was. But in this situation, who could help her? Lionel Baldr? From what he’d heard, that scoundrel had led the Empress into the squalor of the slums. Surely the Empress hadn’t willingly gone there herself. She must have simply wanted to observe the lives of ordinary people. Adeleaide must have figured it out by now. Lionel Baldr, that man, wouldn’t be of any significant help to her. Moreover, what good could a mere aide do for the Empress, whose position was precarious due to the succession issue? Karl couldn’t help but smirk. The only person who could truly assist her was the Emperor. Adeleaide was smart; she must be aware of this fact. He would have to extend his hand with a smile, reassure her that he would lead her to a garden of flowers, not a dirty slum. Then, she’d have no choice but to take his hand and leave Adeleaide behind in the slums. Karl stubbornly ignored the fact that he was the one pushing Adeleaide into the gutter. He was entirely focused on placing Adeleaide in the palm of his hand.
After Lionel was dismissed, Adeleaide leisurely enjoyed her meal. She finished a bowl of soup and called for some meat to chew on. She wiped her plate clean after the meal. Lady Giggs, who had been concerned that the Empress might faint, watched her with a deep sigh of relief. Lady Giggs had some vague inkling of the reason for the Empress’s collapse. Although she couldn’t understand the murmurs in Gothropian, they were filled with such intense emotion that they tugged at her heart. It hadn’t been long since she had taken over her position, but the Empress appeared cold on the outside, with strong beliefs hidden beneath the surface. Lady Giggs genuinely wished for the Empress to find happiness here.
“The problem is, it seems she just can’t accept the Emperor as her heart desires…”
Lady Giggs’s face grew infinitely darker. Just then, the Empress gently took Lady Giggs’s hand as she was cleaning up.
“!”
Startled, Lady Giggs’s eyes widened, and she looked at the Empress. The Empress smiled and asked, “What’s the matter? Why do you look so glum?”
“Your Majesty.”
“Please, Lady. What’s there to be so gloomy about? It’s not like you.”
Only then did Lady Giggs realize how far her expression had fallen, and she quickly adjusted herself.
“I apologize.”
“I didn’t ask for an apology. I want to talk about not worrying.”
Adeleaide rose from her seat after using a napkin to clean her mouth. It might be a lie if she claimed she didn’t feel the crisis looming, but as long as Diane Poitier was by the Emperor’s side, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
“I am the Empress of Ehmont. It means more than simply being the Emperor’s wife and the mother of the future Emperor. So, there’s no reason for me to be shaken just because the government is aware that the Emperor has a child.”
Adeleaide’s confident words brought Lady Giggs to her senses. She politely clasped her hands and bowed her head.
“You’re absolutely right.”
“So, don’t worry, Lady.”
The Empress gently lifted the noblewoman’s shoulders, and as the woman raised her head, she met her gaze with a reassuring smile. The noblewoman’s heart settled as she looked into the Empress’s calm eyes. While the noblewoman finished tidying up the dishes, Adelaide gazed out the window, lost in thought. Just as she had mentioned to the noblewoman, the news of Diane’s pregnancy was something she had anticipated, and it didn’t shock her. However, this event had brought to the forefront an issue she had been avoiding. Adelaide had not yet spent a night with the Emperor. As the Empress, she could not indefinitely avoid her duty to produce an heir. Her thoughts swirled as she stared at the clear, cloudless sky outside the window.
“Empress!”
At the moment Karl arrived at the Empress’s palace, he stopped in his tracks and gazed at the Empress by the window as if he had lost his wits. The Empress’s face, as she gazed into the distant sky, appeared pure and serene, both delicate and strong. Despite hearing the news of Diane’s pregnancy, she remained unwavering. Indeed, she displayed the demeanor of a true Empress. Just as Diane had suspected, Karl was overwhelmed by a deep sense of rejection and anger towards the figure of the “Empress.” However, Diane had yet to realize just how deeply Karl had followed and yearned for the previous Empress in his childhood. To Karl, the Empress was not just a source of loathing but also an object of admiration and envy. It was an emotion etched into his subconscious that not even the Emperor himself was aware of, and it had been slowly rising to the surface until it burst forth completely.
“Empress!”
Karl couldn’t contain himself any longer and called out to Adeleaide. She turned her head to look at him. When her regal golden eyes met his, the Emperor smiled brightly, even unknowingly.
In the reception room of the Empress’s palace, Adeleaide was baffled when she faced the Emperor, who was sitting across from her. Despite sipping her tea absentmindedly and not looking at him, she was unaware that the Emperor’s persistent gaze never wavered. Eventually, after Adeleaide sighed and met his lavender eyes, the Emperor smiled warmly at her. It was an intoxicating smile, yet Adeleaide instinctively leaned back. After the news of Diane’s pregnancy had spread, Karl had suddenly appeared and revealed this silent charm that Adeleaide couldn’t have anticipated. She put down her teacup without realizing it, and when her eyes met the Emperor’s deep, alluring gaze, she involuntarily moved back.
Why is he acting like this?
“Empress!”
Karl couldn’t help but call her once more. Adeleaide was shocked by the affectionate and sweet tone in his voice. Though her gaze had been cast away, when it finally met his, Karl inclined his head to lock eyes with her, his Empress appearing perfectly regal and poised.
“Empress.”
“Speak.”
“You must have heard the rumors.”
“…”
“Don’t worry too much.”
Adeleaide couldn’t figure out what to say in response. She was dying to know what the Emperor was thinking. What had happened in the past two months that could explain his sudden change in attitude?
“What do you mean?”
Karl keenly picked up on Adeleaide’s confusion in her tone. Well, that was likely the case. Even if he was whispering like the clear autumn sky and wearing an unusual expression on his face, what he had said seemed like a confession.
“My successor will be your child.”
Adeleaide’s expression turned even more puzzled. Did Karl have a fight with Diane Poutier or something? She was deeply suspicious of his abrupt change in demeanor after Diane’s pregnancy had been announced. Karl continued speaking without paying much attention to Adeleaide’s subtle reactions.
“So, let me tell you, Empress. We should get along well now.”
He scrutinized Adeleaide’s exquisite face more closely. Sunlight poured through the meticulously crafted arch-shaped terrace window, casting a raDianet glow on the Empress, who sat against the backdrop of the elegant and beautiful surroundings. Perfectly poised and without a single hair out of place, she shone brighter than any gem. Did the Baldor Duke really take such a noble woman to the slums? Karl couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle, covering his mouth and chin with his hand as he spoke.
“Send your advisor away and refrain from visiting slums.”
“Are you aware that I went to the slums?”
“You said you wanted to see how the common people lived, didn’t you? Lionel Baldr must have guided you to the slums. That place is not where ordinary Ehmont citizens reside. Don’t be too disappointed.”
“Have you been to the slums yourself?”
In response to Adeleaide’s question, Karl involuntarily furrowed his brow. Visions of filth and foul odors flashed in his mind. Meeting the disgusted gaze of the Emperor, Adeleaide swallowed her embarrassment and spoke firmly.
“You shouldn’t judge it like that.”
He nodded with his face still wrinkled.
“Someday, I will eradicate the slums in the capital.”
This meant not to rescue the miserable people in the slums, but to clear away the impurity that marred the capital’s aesthetics.
“Your Majesty, what should be eradicated is not the slums but the Tower.”
Karl’s eyes widened, and he looked at Adeleaide with surprise. Adeleaide took a deep breath and spoke calmly.
“Those who have lost their hometowns because of the Tower have nowhere to go but the slums. If we remove the Tower and return their homes to them, no one will stay in such miserable places, Your Majesty.”
At that moment, the Emperor’s previously soft gaze turned cold, and his purple eyes chilled.
